China urges miners to increase high-grade coal supplies for heating

Reuters Staff

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BEIJING (Reuters) - China has urged coal miners to increase high-grade coal supplies to ensure heating fuel for winter, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said in a statement on Tuesday.

FILE PHOTO - A girl makes her way to her house located next to the cooling towers of a coal-fired power plant in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, China, January 28, 2015. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo

The statement comes after the central government scaled back its plan earlier this month to convert northern cities to natural gas from coal for heating, because provinces across China had warned of gas shortages.

The NDRC asked miners to put more high-grade coal projects into operation “as soon as possible”.

Coal-fired power plants are also encouraged to increase their thermal coal stockpiles and upgrade their equipment to reduce emissions.